Handle for collapsible container

ABSTRACT

A collapsible container adapted to allow a person to manually carry items within the container by use of at least one handle connected to the container. The container has a plurality of flexible loop frames each contained in a pocket connected to form sides of the container in an expanded configuration. The handle has a first end extending through a buttonhole in one of the pockets and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame. The handle may further have a second end extending through another buttonhole in the pocket or an adjacent pocket and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame. The edge of the buttonholes is preferably finished with strengthening structure.

BACKGROUND

The current invention relates in general to the handle of a container, and more particularly, to the handle of a collapsible container.

Collapsible containers are known that have four sides, a bottom and an open top. Twist-and-fold frames are contained in pockets around the periphery of each side panels so that opposing sides can be folded against each other, and then the flexible frames twisted into two or three overlapping loops or circles to form a collapsible hamper. The flexible frames contained in pockets are also used to make containers with curved sides. Such collapsible containers are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,971,188, 5,964,533, and 6,527,136 the complete contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The frames must be relatively small cross-section in order to allow the twisting-and-folding of the frame into small, portable packages. The flexible structures are also used for collapsible containers used to carry items. But when items are placed in the containers, the container must be lifted carefully, as the flexible nature of the container can make it difficult to hold. The small size of the frames coupled with enclosing the frames in pockets makes it difficult to pick up these containers by grabbing the frames directly. Handles have been provided with the containers, but they are attached to the fabric forming the top or the side panels and that fabric is thin and of insufficient strength to provide for a durable connection. A handle has been provided that encircles the frame at a location where the pocket ends and leaves the frame exposed, but it is costly to form the pocket to expose the frame in that manner. There is thus a need for an improved way to allow a person to grip and lift these collapsible containers.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A collapsible container having a plurality of frame members defining an enclosure is provided. Each of the frame members is contained in a pocket. The container is collapsible by twisting and folding the frame members. At least one handle is connected to the container. The handle has at least one, and preferably two distal ends, each end extending through two buttonholes formed in at least one of the pockets and fastened to the handle to encircle the frame member. The button holes are formed in opposing sides of the pocket and aligned with each other so the handle can pass through both button holes and encircle a portion of the frame and a portion of the pocket. The container further comprises a plurality of side panels each being encircled by the corresponding pocket and a bottom fastened to the side panels. Advantageous, the container has a top to at least partially enclose one end of the container. The edge of each of the buttonhole is preferably finished with a strengthening structure such as stitches.

In one embodiment, the pocket includes an inner facing surface and an outer facing surface of the pocket extending at two sides of the frame member contained therein. To form each of the buttonholes, a hole is formed in each of the inner and outer surfaces and aligned with each other. The edges of holes are finished with individual strengthening structure. Alternatively, the edges of aligned holes in each side of the pocket can be joined together to form the buttonhole, and the joined edges are then finished with the strengthening structure. Preferably, the handle includes a flat strap with the distal end so sized to extend through the buttonhole(s).

In a variation of the invention, a collapsible has a plurality of side panels, a plurality of pockets on the side panels, a plurality of flexible loop frame members in the pockets, a pair of first buttonholes opposite each other on one of the pockets, and a first handle. The side panels join together to define an enclosure. Each of the pockets extends around a periphery of the corresponding side panel. The flexible loop frame members are contained within the corresponding pockets. The first buttonholes are formed in at least one of the pockets between the corresponding frame member and side panel. The first buttonholes can be formed in opposing sides of the same pocket or adjacent pockets. Preferably, the buttonholes are formed at locations spaced apart from each other so there are two sets of button holes on the pocket of one side panel. The edges of the buttonholes are preferably finished with strengthening structures such as satin stitches. The first handle has two distal ends extending through one of the pockets via the first buttonholes and encircling the frame member contained in the pocket. Once extending through the buttonholes, the distal ends are fastened to the first handle. Preferably, the container further comprises a second pair of buttonholes formed in the pocket opposite the first pair of buttonholes and a second handle having two distal ends extending through the opposite pocket via the second buttonholes and encircling the frame member contained in the opposite pocket.

The invention further provides a collapsible container adapted to allow a person to manually carry items within the container by use of at least one handle connected to the container. The container has a plurality of flexible loop frames each contained in a pocket connected to form sides of the container in an expanded configuration. The handle comprises a first end extending through a buttonhole in at least one of the pockets and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame. The handle may further comprise a second end extending through another buttonhole in the same pocket on the same side panel or in an adjacent pocket on a different side panel and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame. The edge of the buttonholes is preferably finished with strengthening structure.

In a further variation of the invention, a collapsible object is provided. The collapsible has at least one panel, a pocket connected to a periphery of the panel, and a flexible loop frame extending around the panel and contained within the pocket. A first buttonhole is formed to perforating through the pocket. A handle is connected to the object. A first end of the object extends through the buttonhole and is fastened to the object to encircle a first part of the frame and the pocket covering the first part therein. Preferably but optionally, the pocket has a second buttonhole formed therein allowing a second end of the handle to extend through and encircle a second part of the frame and the pocket containing the second part therein. The panel may be configured to define an enclosure or into various geometries for various functions. Alternatively, the object may include additional panel to provide various utilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a container with a handle of this invention;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged perspective view of the pocket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of the joint between the handle and the pocket;

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view along the cutting line 3-3 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the joint between the handle and the pocket; and

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a collapsible container 10 has four side panels 12 arranged to form a substantially rectangular enclosure. A bottom 14 is fastened to the side panels 12. The portion of the container 10 opposite the bottom 14 may be entirely open, but can be at least partially enclosed by a top 16 that can be opened or has an opening 18 through which items can be loaded in and removed from the container 10. A pocket 20 extends around the periphery of each side panel 12, and inside the pocket 20 is a frame member 22 as shown in FIG. 2. The frame member 22 may be arranged in various configurations, depending on the design of the particular container 10. But the frame 22 always has a portion at the top of the container 10, and the frame member 22 is typically contained entirely, or predominantly, in a pocket 20 in order to form the container 10. The frame members 22 are of plastic or metal, and are preferably of a metal coated with a waterproof material such as paint or plastic in order to avoid rust.

As shown in FIG. 1, at least one handle 24 is connected to the container 10 at the top of the pocket 20 of at least one side panel 12. The handle 24 could be fastened only at one end rather than at two ends as shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, after extending through the buttonholes 28, the distal ends 26 are fastened to the handle 24 to form a loop encircling both the frame member 22 and the portion of the pocket 20 covering the frame member 22. The button holes 28 are formed on opposing sides 20 a, 20 b of the pocket 20, and are aligned. The button holes 28 are preferably located sufficiently below the top of the pocket 20 so that the frame 22 can fit above the top edge of the button hole 28. That location allows the strap 24 to fit through the aligned button holes 28 and encircle the frame and a portion of the pocket, including the upper or top portion of the buttonholes. Note that as used herein, the top and upper are relative to the orientation of the parts in the figures, and in actual use the orientation and relative positions can vary.

In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the distal ends 26 are fastened to the handle 24 by sewing the ends of the flexible strap together. Other fastening or attaching mechanism including but not limited to riveting, gluing, buttoning, or Velcro can also be used to fasten the distal ends 26 to the handle 24. The edges 30 of the button holes 28 are preferably finished with strengthening structures 32 such as buttonhole stitches to help prevent the holes from tearing during use. Metal grommets could also be used. The structure as shown in FIG. 3 provides a connection of the handle 24 without sewing it into the material forming the side panel 12 or the top 16. Such connection allows the lifting loads from the handle 24 to be transferred directly to the frame member 22 and avoids wear and tearing of the material forming the side panel 12 or the top 16.

Referring to FIG. 4, the pocket 20 includes an inner facing surface 20 a and an outer facing surface 20 b extending at two opposing sides of the frame member 22. The inner facing surface 20 a faces toward the inside of the container, and the outer facing surface 20 b faces toward the outside of the container. Each buttonhole 28 includes two holes 28 a and 28 b formed in the inner and outer surface 20 a and 20 b, respectively. The edges 30 a and 30 b of the holes 28 a and 28 b are preferably aligned with each other. The edges 30 a and 30 b of the holes 28 a and 28 b can be individually finished by the strengthening structure 32 a and 32 b as shown in FIG. 4; or alternatively, the edges can be joined together by the strengthening structure 32 to form the buttonhole 28 as shown in FIG. 5. In either way, the connection of the handle 24 can be easily made and properly strengthened with minimum labor and cost.

The handle 24 preferably comprises a flat strap of material that is sized so the distal ends 26 can extend through the buttonhole 28. The handle 24 advantageously comprises a flexible strap, preferably of a flat, flexible material such as nylon or leather, but the material and shape can vary. The handle 24 has two distal ends 26 extending through the pocket 20 via a pair of buttonholes 28 formed to perforate the pocket 20 between the frame member 22 and the side panel 12. The distal ends 26 of the handle 24 preferably connect the container 10 at spaced apart distances on the same pocket containing the same flexible frame 22 encircled by the handle 24. But the opposing ends of the handle 24 could be connected to adjacent or opposing frames 22. For frame member 22 used to form flat side panels, the distal ends 26 preferably join the frame adjacent opposing corers of the frame member 24. Because the frame member 22 is made of twist-and-fold flexible hoops, the corners are usually curved to varying degrees. Joining the handle 24 adjacent the opposing corners of either the same side panel 12 or adjacent panel 12 allows a more stable lifting force to be applied to the container 10. Other locations can be selected as desired.

The container 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 includes two handles 24, and each of which has two opposing ends 26 joined to the pocket 20 of the same side panel 12. It will be appreciated that the number of the handles 24 and the location of the connection of the handles 24 are not limited to this specific embodiment. For example, the container 10 may include two or more two handles 24. Also, the opposing ends 26 of each handle 24 can be connected at the pockets 20 of two adjacent side panels 12 instead being connected to the same pocket 20 of the same side panel 12. Further, a single strap handle can be used which has only one end connecting to one frame, with the other end forming a loop suitable for gripping by a hand, or just forming a free end for gripping by hand or for other use.

The side panels 12 of the container are preferably covered with material including but not limited to solid fabric, mesh fabric, a polymer based material such as plastic, or other flexible materials that allow the folding of the container 10 from an expanded configuration to a folded, collapsed configuration. The side panels 12 can form flat panels, with three or more panels joined to form a container. The side panels 12 can be joined together directly using a common pocket 20, or by sewing adjacent pockets 20 together, or by placing a spacing strip intermediate the adjacent pockets 20 along the vertical sides of the panels 12. The bottom 14 is advantageously configured to provide a continuous juncture with the side panels 12 and will vary depending on how adjacent sides 12 are joined.

The handle 24 is described as fastened to a container, but the handle could be fastened to a single tension-loop frame and its associated panel, or it could be fastened to one or more frames in any structure or assembly using such tension loop frames 22.

In a further variation of the invention, a collapsible object 10 is provided as shown in FIG. 6. The collapsible object 10 has at least one panel 12, a pocket 20 connected to a periphery of the panel 12, and a flexible loop frame 22 extending around the panel 12 and contained within the pocket 20. A first buttonhole 28 is formed to perforating through the pocket 20. A handle 24 is connected to the object. A first end 26 of the object extends through the buttonhole 28 and is fastened to the object 10 to encircle a first part of the frame 22 and the pocket 20 covering the first part therein. Preferably but optionally, the pocket 20 has a second buttonhole 28 formed therein allowing a second end 26 of the handle to extend through and encircle a second part of the frame 22 and the pocket 20 containing the second part therein. The panel 12 may be configured to define an enclosure or into various geometries for various functions. Alternatively, the object may include additional panel to provide various utilities. FIG. 6 provides an oval shape of the panel 12. It will be appreciated that the panel 12 may has other shapes such as rectangle, square, circle, any regular or irregular polygon, or any regular or irregular shape as desired.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments. 

1. A collapsible container, comprising a plurality of frame members defining an enclosure, wherein each of the frame members is contained in a pocket and the container is collapsible by twisting and folding the frame members, the container further comprising at least one handle having two distal ends, with at least one end extending through at least one buttonhole formed in at least one of the pockets and passing through the pocket to encircle the frame member and to encircle a portion of the pocket.
 2. The container of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of side panels each being encircled by the corresponding pocket.
 3. The container of claim 2, further comprising a bottom fastened to the side panels.
 4. The container of claim 2, further comprising a top to at least partially enclose one end of the container.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein each of the buttonholes has an edge finished with a strengthening structure.
 6. The container of claim 5 wherein the strengthening structures include satin stitches.
 7. The container of claim 1, wherein: the pocket includes an inner surface and an outer surface extending at two sides of the frame member contained therein; and each of the buttonholes includes two aligned holes formed in the inner and outer surface, respectively.
 8. The container of claim 8, wherein each of the hole has an edge finished with individual strengthening structure.
 9. The container of claim 8, wherein the edges of the aligned holes are joined together to form the corresponding buttonhole.
 10. The container of claim 1, wherein the handle includes a flat strap with the distal ends so sized to extend through the buttonholes.
 11. A collapsible container, comprising: a plurality of side panels defining an enclosure; a plurality of pockets, each extending around a periphery of the corresponding side panel; a plurality of flexible loop frame members contained within the corresponding pockets; a pair of first buttonholes formed in at least one of the pockets; and a first handle having two distal ends extending through the pocket via the first buttonholes and encircling the frame member contained in the pocket.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein the first buttonholes are formed in the pocket between the corresponding frame member and side panel.
 13. The container of claim 11, wherein the first buttonholes are formed in the pocket of the same side panel at two spaced apart locations.
 14. The container of claim 11, wherein the first buttonholes are formed in the pockets of two adjacent side panels.
 15. The container of claim 11, wherein the buttonholes have edges finished with strengthening structure.
 16. The container of claim 11, wherein the distal ends are fastened to the first handle after extending through the pocket.
 17. The container of claim 11, further comprising: a second pair of buttonholes formed in the pocket opposite the first pair of buttonholes; and a second handle having two distal ends extending through the opposite pocket via the second buttonholes and encircling the frame member contained in the opposite pocket.
 18. A collapsible container adapted to allow a person to manually carry items within the container by use of at least one handle connected to the container, the container having a plurality of flexible loop frames each contained in a pocket connected to form sides of the container in an expanded configuration, the handle comprising a first end extending through a buttonhole in one of the pockets and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame.
 19. The container of claim 18, wherein the handle further comprises a second end extending through another buttonhole in the pocket or an adjacent pocket and encircling the flexible frame and the pocket portion containing the flexible frame.
 20. The container of claim 18, wherein the buttonhole has an edge finished with strengthening structure.
 21. A collapsible object, comprising: at least one panel; a pocket connected to a periphery of the panel, the pocket having a first buttonhole perforating therethrough; a flexible loop frame extending around the panel and contained within the pocket; a handle, having a first end extending through the buttonhole and fastened to the handle to encircle a first part of the frame and the pocket containing the first part of the frame.
 22. The object of claim 21, wherein: the pocket further comprising a second buttonhole perforating therethrough; and the handle further comprising a second end extending through the second buttonhole and fastened to the handle to encircle a second part of the frame and the pocket containing the second part of the frame. 